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Kensho by Lyn Gala


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Kick at the Darkness


Keira Andrews - 2015
    He humiliated himself trying to pick up a cute guy, he hasn’t made any friends at school, and his stupidly hot jerk of a TA gave him a crappy grade on his paper. He’s going to drop Adam Hawkins’ film class and start fresh tomorrow after he’s had a good sulk.But Parker’s about to find out what a bad day really looks like—if he can survive the night.A virus is unleashed, transforming infected people into zombie-like killers. After these quick and deadly creepers swarm campus, Parker only escapes thanks to Adam swooping him onto the back of his trusty motorcycle. Now they're on the run—and stuck with each other.When they’re not bickering, they’re fighting off the infected in a bloody battle for survival. Their only hope is to head east to Parker's family, but orphaned Adam has a secret he’s not sure Parker will accept: he’s a werewolf. Can they trust each other enough to find some light in these dark days?

Interlude with Tattoos


K.J. Charles - 2013
    Stephen Day and Lord Crane return to London. Neither is quite sure where their fledgling relationship is going. It seems unlikely that there can be much of a future for them, under the circumstances, with Stephen going back to work and Crane returning to China. Until they encounter an unexpected moment of magic...

Gifts for the Season


R.J. ScottAmber Kell - 2020
    Locey - Dressed In Holiday StyleCan the spirit of Christmas save this budding love affair?Clare London - Five Gold BlingsWhere Christmas sparkle leads two lonely hearts.Posy Roberts - Sojourn with YouThis year, a place to stay is the best Christmas gift Sawyer could ask for.Felice Stevens - The Gift of ForeverWhat do you get the man who has everything?AE Via - An Unworthy GiftWhat do the lonely do at Christmas?Word Count: 157,000

Mind Fuck


Manna Francis - 2007
    There are only better guys and worse guys.One of the worse guys is Val Toreth. In a world in which torture is a legitimate part of the investigative process, he works for the Investigation and Interrogation Division, where his colleagues can be more dangerous than the criminals he investigates.One of the better guys is Keir Warrick. His small corporation, SimTech, is developing a "sim" system that places users in a fully immersive virtual reality. A minnow in a murky and dangerous pond, he is only beginning to discover how many compromises may be required for success.Their home is the dark future dystopia of New London. A totalitarian bureaucracy controls the European Administration, sharing political power with the corporations. The government uses violence and the many divisions of the feared Department of Internal Security to maintain control and crush resistance. The corporations fight among themselves, using lethal force under the euphemism of "corporate sabotage," uniting only to resist attempts by the Administration to extend its influence over them.Toreth and Warrick are more natural enemies than allies. But mutual attraction and the fight for survival can create unlikely bonds.

Treacherous Sun


Jade Archer - 2011
    Lusaffar hates Mykel. Which is as it should be. The way it's always been between Aenjels and Deamonds. So why can't they keep their hands off one another?When Orison's sun mysteriously began to decay, the Intergalactic Council built a habitat ark to rescue the survivors. But it came at a price. Now Aenjels and Deamonds not only have to learn to live together aboard The Nu Hayven, they have to form the first Intergalactic Emergency Response and Peacekeeping Force. The only trouble is the two species have been at each other's throats for centuries!Mykel leads what's left of the Aenjel population. He's homesick and heartbroken. He's also going to kick some serious Deamond hindquarters if they threaten his people! Unfortunately, the biggest threat to Mykel's sanity is the Deamond's gorgeous leader, Lusaffar!Lusaffar has his own personal issues with Aenjels, but he's not above relieving a little tension with their leader, Mykel. If only the great pretentious pigeon wasn't burrowing under his skin and stirring up all sorts of disturbing things like feelings!But even if these two stubborn males can overcome their prejudices, can the two most unlikely lovers in the universe survive a murderous saboteur in their midst?Reader Advisory: This book is the first in a series and is best read in sequence.

Knight Errant


K.D. Sarge - 2010
    His new sister, former Marine Eve Marcori, promised his dead mother she'd look after him. To her that means family, home--her interstellar freighter--and a solid future. In four years she has trained Taro extensively; the next step is college. Taro would rather be shot, but he never forgets his debt to Eve, so he means to honor her plans or die in the attempt. When Eve rescues former joy-boy and current layabout Rafe Ballard, death seems the likely outcome. Rafe is so apparently useless that Eve calls him 'the baggage' and appoints Taro his custodian. Irritated into disobedience by his carefree charge, Taro tries to get rid of Rafe. Instead he gets them both kidnapped by the jealous husband Rafe was fleeing. Though they are off-planet before Taro can act, his training may be enough to bring them safely through--but now he has bigger problems. Forced into partnership--and freedom--with Rafe, Taro begins to see him differently. Kind, funny, and caring, Rafe is everything Taro never knew he wanted. And all he can't have. Eve's plans leave no room for a playboy boyfriend who can never measure up, and Taro can't let her down. Caught between the sister he'd die for and the man he's beginning to live for, Taro decides it's time to start making his own plans. And if the new skills aren't enough, he'll give the old ones a try.

Soulless


T. Baggins - 2013
    Crippled by a riding accident and embittered by his injuries, he shuns the world, focusing on his laboratory and experiments. But when the sale of his country estate, Grantley, leads to an encounter with a vampire, Nicholas realizes there is more in heaven and earth than he ever dreamed possible.A Creature of DarknessAlthough three hundred years old, Bancroft Ulwin is young by supernatural standards. Enslaved by his cruel, deformed maker, Ban is forbidden from relations with mortal men unless it ends in death. But his liaison with Nicholas, expressly against his master’s wishes, soon expands beyond mere lust to something more.A Love PredestinedLong ago while still mortal, Ban met Serafino, the only true love of his life. When death separated them, Ban accepted his role as an enemy of human kind. But as he comes to suspect Nicholas is Serafino reincarnated, Ban begins to question everything he once believed. Including his own damnation.

A Companion to Wolves


Sarah Monette - 2007
    Isolfr is deeply drawn to the wolves, and though as his father's heir he can refuse the call, he chooses to go. The people of this wintry land depend on the wolfcarls to protect them from the threat of trolls and wyverns, though the supernatural creatures have not come in force for many years. Men are growing too confident. The wolfhealls are small, and the lords give them less respect than in former years.  But the winter of Isolfr's bonding, the trolls come down from the north in far greater numbers than before, and the holding's complaisance gives way to terror in the dark. Isolfr, now bonded to a queen wolf, Viradechtis, must learn where his honor lies, and discover the lengths to which he will to go when it, and love for his wolf, drive him.

The Degan Incident


Rob Colton - 2012
    Just as they begin to fall in love, Bastian disappears without a trace.When Devin's encounter with Bastian triggers a startling change in his body, he is taken captive and held in a top-secret research facility.Will Bastian find Devin before it's too late?

Where There's Smoke


Cari Z. - 2015
    I came here looking for adventure and excitement, but nobody cares about one more normal guy in a city filled with super-powered heroes. The closest I’ve come to glory is working in a bank that villains often rob.But then I maybe accidentally-on-purpose helped a villain escape the hero who was trying to save the day. Imagine my shock when, a week later, that villain asked me out for coffee. One date turned into more, and now I’m head over heels in love with Raul.Falling in love with the guy dubbed the Mad Bombardier isn’t without its downsides, though. I’ve had to deal with near-death encounters with other villains, awkwardly flirtatious heroes who won’t take no for an answer, and a lover I’m not sure I can trust. It’s getting to the point where I know I’ll have to make a choice: side with the heroes, or stand fast by my villain.Either way, I think my days as a normal guy are over.

18% Gray


Anne Tenino - 2011
    He never expected to have to retrieve his high school crush, aka the guy who ostracized him for being gay.Rescuing James Ayala isn’t going to be easy: he’s crawling with tracking nanos and has a cybernetic brain implant that’s granted him psychic power he isn’t sure how to control. That’s the good news. The bad? The implant is compromising James’s mental stability.So they’re on the run, avoiding surveillance by AI aircraft and hiding from enemy militia. Then James confesses he tormented Matt in high school because James wanted him. Matt can’t resist the temptation James offers, but he wants so much more than sex, assuming they ever make it home alive. Is James really a good bet when he’s got a ticking time bomb in his brain and there’s the question of how much he’s actually changed?

Wishes


J.C. Owens - 2012
    Auri finds his job aboard the diplomatic cruiser both frustrating and exhausting, but he's determined to prove himself to his new captain. Despite the diplomatic importance of their mission, Auri is wary of the catlike Felinians, who have a reputation for enjoying human company, willing or not. But when he's ordered to witness the signing of the trade papers with the Felininans, Auri never imagines that he's about to be betrayed.Sold into an alien culture, Auri finds himself the newest man in the Felinian leader's erotic harem. Kanar claims him as his "mate," but Auri longs for freedom. Though his feelings for Kanar begin to grow, Auri stubbornly refuses the Felininan and the other men of his harem, leading to loneliness and grief. But how can he open himself up to his captor, and to the love of more than one partner?Reader Discretion: Dubious consent

In Service


Mima - 2008
    As a sexual companion that sustains Luo troops with human energy, she's eager for her first assignment. Fresh out of training, she's assigned to a hell of a team in a hellish situation and promptly falls for all four of them. Three of them accept her immediately, bound to her in the searing sexual circumstances of her arrival.But Shon is her hard case. He accepts her body and her energy just fine, but holds his heart back. The team leader doesn't trust his gift of berzerker rage, and his own team doesn't trust him either. She's happy to prove them wrong by taking all of him in his darkest moment...only to find the team doesn't see it as the confirmation she does. When her men disagree despite the proof she presents, Malla sees she's not really the equal partner she thought she was. If her team won't trust her judgment, then she can't trust them with her heart.When a lonely warrior who has never fully let himself go because of his "gift" of berzerker rage meets a woman who actually expects him to do so, he's shockingly tempted. In the fight of his life, Shon's team is saved because of Malla's open spirit and dazzling sexuality. But the thrill of success after the mission is ripped away when he discovers she has faced his berzerker state...alone.She trusted him to be more human than he is, and he tragically, horrifically proved her wrong. There's no way he deserves her heart, he no longer deserves her body, and he can't possibly continue with his team, facing their knowledge of what he's capable of. No one should ever face his Fury again. Broken, the team scatters, the defeat of their enemy small comfort to the shattering of their family. War takes its toll on all of them, until Shon finally sees the truth of what it means to have someone believe in him.Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, domination, dubious consent, exhibitionism, male/male sexual practices, masturbation, Ménage (m/m/m/f), spanking, violence, voyeurism.

The Engineer


C.S. Poe - 2020
    He’s sent to Shallow Grave, Arizona, to arrest a madman engineer known as Tinkerer, who’s responsible for blowing up half of Baltimore. Gillian has handled some of the worst criminals in the Bureau’s history, so this assignment shouldn’t be a problem. But even he’s taken aback by a run-in with the country’s most infamous outlaw, Gunner the Deadly.Gunner is also stalking Shallow Grave in search of Tinkerer, who will stop at nothing to take control of the town’s silver mines. Neither Gillian nor Gunner are willing to let Tinkerer hurt more innocent people, so they agree to a very temporary partnership.If facing illegal magic, Gatling gun contraptions, and a wild engineer in America’s frontier wasn’t enough trouble for a city boy, Gillian must also come to terms with the reality that he’s rather fond of his partner. But even if they live through this adventure, Gillian fears there’s no chance for love between a special agent and outlaw.Based on the short story, "Gunner the Deadly." Entirely revised, newly expanded, and Book One in the exciting new steampunk series, Magic & Steam.

A History of Trouble


S.J. Himes - 2019
    Witness a brief glimpse into the brutal history of the Wars with Ignacio Salvatore and the vampire he loves, Ashwin Metcalfe, in 1897.A History of Trouble Angel was joking when he asked O'Malley if someone resurrected a mammoth. Little did he know that was exactly what someone did. Experience the untold story of what happened that unfortunate night at the Boston Public Museum.A Dragon in the CityWhat happens when Eroch goes adventuring in Beacon Hill without Angel? Chaos, pure chaos.Fae's Gold Daniel is helping the newly-resurrected fae Ruairi Brennan become accustomed to modern-day living. A boring trip to the bank quickly escalates, and Daniel calls Angel for help. The day goes downhill from there but ends in a comfy meal in a pub for an ancient fae warrior and a necromancer's apprentice.This is a collection, featuring vignettes and short stories from the universe of The Beacon Hill Sorcerer series. For full enjoyment, the Beacon Hill Sorcerer Series Books 1 through 3 should be read before reading this collection. Combined word count is 23.5k words.